Where's Mommy?
by RBCrazyFan
Summary: McSwarek  future  Oneshot. Sometimes a child puts things into perspective when adults don't.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue.

A.N. I was in a really random mood the other night and wrote this. Its longer than most of my one-shots but I just wanted the whole story out and could not decide how to split it up. Let me know what you think!

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The man finished cleaning up lunch and ambled into the living room. He sat down on the couch and watched his young daughter playing on the floor with her dolls. He smiled at her innocence.

After a few minutes, the little girl looked up and realized her father was watching her. "Daddy" she cried, as she scrambled to her feet. She clambered up his legs and sat in his lap. "Daddy" she said again as she looked at him "why are you sad?"

The man stared into her doe-brown eyes, so much like her mother's eyes. He felt a lump forming in his throat.

"Daddy, did I do something wrong?"

He pulled her close and hugged her. "No Princess. Why would you say that?"

"Does Mommy love me anymore?"

The man reeled back, shocked at her question._ Why would she say something like that?_ He found his voice. "Why would you say that? Of course Mommy loves you."

He saw tears forming in his daughter's eyes. "Mommy didn't come to say goodnight _again_."

The man wiped away the tears that started twin paths down her cheeks. She was correct, for the past two nights her mother had not said goodnight to her. "Katie, Mommy loves you a lot." He sighed. He had been pushing off this conversation for as long as possible. "Do you remember when Jessie had a really bad stomach ache?"

Katie nodded and a smile, his dimpled smile, appeared on her face. "She had to go to the hopsicle."

"Hospital Kitten, not hopsicle."

She glared at him. "Leo stayed with us because Uncle Jerry and Aunt Traci had to stay with her in the hop…hos…hospital and me and Leo were not allowed to go visit her."

She looked at her father for verification. When he nodded, she went on. "Is that where Mommy is?"

Sam kissed his daughter's forehead and nodded. "Yes."

"Oh." Katie climbed off of her father's lap and wandered off. Instead of following her, Sam gave her some time to herself.

Sam leaned back against the couch. The past few days had taken a toll on him. Andy was injured on the job. Originally the doctors thought she broke her arm and there was a lot of bruising from her fall. Then they realized that she was bleeding internally.

Andy's father normally picked up Katie from school and Tommy was more than willing to stay with her that night so Sam could stay with Andy. That night had been touch and go – Sam did not sleep the whole night.

The next day, Sarah drove in from St. Catharines to pick up her niece from school, freeing up Tommy to stay with Sam at the hospital. By nightfall Andy's condition was stable, though she did not know where she was because she was on so much morphine. Giving into the urgings of Traci, Sarah, and Tommy, Sam returned home to his daughter while Tommy stayed with Andy. Sarah returned home, telling him to call if he needed anything.

Sam was brought out of his thoughts with a loud crash followed by an "uh oh".

He jumped up and ran to his daughter's room. It looked like a bomb had gone off; contents of drawers were spilled all over the place. He noted that she must have been trying to get something out of the closet because the rod which held her hanging clothes was on the floor; probably the source of the crash.

As soon as Katie saw him, she threw herself at him. Sam crouched and caught her, pulling her into his arms. "Are you okay?" he asked her as he stood up.

She nodded and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Katie, what happened?"

"I was packing." Her voice was muffled because her head was still buried in his shoulder.

He had seen the suitcase in the center of her bed and realized she was packing. "Why?"

Katie picked up her head and looked at him. "So I can go to Aunt Traci's and you can stay with Mommy."

Sam's eyes widened in shock. He had not expected this reaction from her. He knew it was pointless to argue, his daughter had made up her mind. It was one of the qualities she inherited from both of her parents, the stubborn streak. "Fine. Why don't you pick out three outfits? I'll clean up and pack and then we can go to Aunt Traci's."

"Mommy's gonna come home after three days?" Katie clapped her hands together.

Sam didn't want to burst her bubble. "Maybe, and if not, we can always come back." He watched her pick out three outfits and then sent her out of the room to play with her toys. As he packed and straightened the room, he called Traci. "Trace? It's Sam. Listen, would Katie be able to stay with you for a few days?"

Traci was shocked. When Andy had originally gone into the hospital, Sam said he wanted everything to stay normal for Katie and he wanted her to sleep in her own bed. "What changed? Is Andy okay?"

Sam laughed, for the first time in days. "Katie's as stubborn as her parents. She asked where Andy was today."

"What did you tell her?"

"I gave her the example of Jessie."

Traci laughed. "So, she probably thinks Andy has appendicitis."

"It was better than telling her the truth. She decided that she is going to sleep over at your house and I should stay with Andy."

Traci laughed again. "She's definitely your daughter. She's welcome to stay. But Sam, why is she not in school?"

"She didn't want to go and I didn't have the heart to force her. Tommy told me he would stay with Andy and I should take the day to spend with Katie. Besides, she's four, its okay to miss a few days here and there." Andy would probably kill him for saying that, but honestly he didn't care. Fighting with Katie was the last thing on his mind with Andy in the hospital.

"Okay. I'll see you in a little while."

"You're a lifesaver Trace. I'll see you soon." He hung up.

When they arrived at Traci and Jerry's place, Sam walked his daughter up the stairs and rang the bell. Traci answered right away and took the suitcase as Sam squatted down next to his daughter. "I love you Katie and so does Mommy."

Katie wrapped her arms around him. "I love you Daddy." She kissed his cheek twice. "One for you and one for Mommy." She entered the house.

Sam watched his daughter disappear before he turned to Traci. "Thanks Traci. Call me if you need anything."

He waited for the door to close before heading to his car.

The drive to the hospital was short. He slowly walked up to the ICU, mentally preparing himself for the sight that was going to greet him.

He pushed open the door to Andy's room and saw Tommy asleep in the chair next to Andy's bed. He laid a gentle hand on his father-in-law's shoulder. Tommy was awake in an instant. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

Tommy yawned. "I'll be fine. Where's Katie?"

"At Traci's for the night." He held up a hand to stop his father-in-law from protesting. "She insisted." Sam looked at Tommy. Andy's injury was taking a toll on the man. "Go home and try to rest. I'll be here for the night and call you if there are any changes."

Tommy stood and kissed his daughter's forehead. "Take care of my little girl Sam."

Sam nodded and Tommy turned to leave. "Oh, Sam? They lowered her dosage of morphine so when she wakes up, she's going to be in a lot of pain. The doctors said to call and they can give her more if she needs it." He opened the door and left.

Instead of taking the seat Tommy vacated, Sam sat on the bed and gently brushed Andy's hair away from her face. "I miss you sweetheart" he whispered softly as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

Half an hour later, Andy began to stir. Sam tried to quiet her movements as she groaned in pain. Her eyes opened and he saw the pain in them. "Hi sweetheart" he murmured.

"Sam" she whispered. He stood and filled a cup of water for her and positioned a straw so she could drink. When she drained the cup, she looked at him. "What happened? Where am I?"

Sam sat down on the edge of the bed. "You were injured and there was internal bleeding. You're in the hospital."

Andy nodded and then glanced at the clock. She began to sit up and then screamed in pain.

Sam moved so that he was shoulder to shoulder with her. "Andy, you need to stay still. What's wrong?"

With tears in her eyes, she looked at him. "Sam, its six. Where's Katie?"

Sam smiled. "She asked me to give you this." He kissed Andy on the cheek and then moved so he was hovering over her. "And this is from me" he kissed her gently on the lips.

Andy smiled. "Hold me" she whispered.

Sam used the controls to position the bed so that Andy was sitting up before he slipped his hand around her, careful not to jar her. Her hand was in a cast but the rest of her injuries were wrapped with soft bandages.

When she was snuggled against him, she looked at him. "You didn't answer my question."

Sam sighed. "She asked where you were today. I told her it was like Jessie and she decided she was going to Traci's because I needed to stay with you."

Andy giggled. "Sounds like our daughter."

Sam smiled. "Of course. Andy, sweetheart, how are you feeling?" He knew that she would not have answered the question until she made sure her daughter was okay.

Andy yawned. "In pain but it's bearable."

"That's good." They both jumped. "Sorry to startle you two." It was the doctor. "Mrs. Swarek, we have reduced your intake of morphine and would like to move you out of the ICU."

Andy gripped Sam's hand. "When can I go home?" She wanted to see her daughter.

"It depends on the recovery. But if we move you to a regular room, there is no age limit on the visitors." Tommy McNally had told him about Katie.

Andy smiled as she looked at Sam. "I want to see Katie."

Sam slipped his hand out from under her and stood. "Not tonight. She's at Traci's and its bedtime soon. Besides, you're exhausted. Rest up tonight and I'll bring her tomorrow after school."

* * *

Sam woke with Andy curled against him. As the nurses moved Andy into a private room, he spoke to the doctor since he knew Andy was going to want him to stay with her in the bed. The doctor had told him to be careful but it was okay. Andy was still asleep so he tried to close his eyes and go back to sleep but incessant beeping stopped him. Then he realized it was his cell phone. "Swarek."

"Sam?"

Sam quickly and carefully slid Andy off of him and stood up. "What's wrong Traci?"

"Katie's refusing to go to school. I don't know why."

Sam looked at Andy. She had opened her eyes and was watching him. "I'll be there in ten." He hung up the phone and looked at Andy. "Will you be okay alone for a little while or should I call your dad?"

"I'll be fine" she murmured. "Give Katie a hug and a kiss for me before school."

Sam kissed her gently and then left, an idea forming in his mind.

When he reached Traci's house, he barely made it up the stairs before Katie hurled herself into his arms. He held her close and looked at Traci. "What happened?"

Traci looked shocked. "I don't know. She and Jessie went to bed at a normal hour but this morning I had a hard time waking her up and she is refusing to go to school."

Sam sighed. "Thanks Trace." He headed to the car and buckled his daughter in. As he drove, he looked at her. "Princess, what happened last night?"

"Jessie fell asleep but I couldn't. Daddy, I want Mommy!"

Making a split second decision, Sam veered left instead of heading straight. "I know Katie, she misses you also."

"I want Mommy" she sobbed.

Sam wished her could just gather her into his arms and calm her. Instead, she cried herself to sleep as he drove to his destination.

* * *

Sam pulled into the parking lot and gently lifted his daughter into his arms before making his way up to the third floor. He was almost by the door when he gently stroked his daughter's cheek. "Wake up Katie."

"No!"

"I have a surprise for you." She responded by burying her head deeper into his chest.

On the other side of the door, Andy was practically bouncing in the bed. She was in pain but she wanted to hold her daughter. The knob slowly turned and then Sam pushed the door opened. "Hi Princess" she said softly.

Sam closed the door with his foot as Katie whispered "Mommy!"

Sam moved swiftly towards the bed and deposited his daughter on Andy's good side. "Be careful, Mommy has a lot of boo-boos."

Katie giggled and curled into her mother's side. "I missed you Mommy."

"I missed you too Katie." She stroked her daughter's hair with her good hand. After a minute, she noticed her daughter was asleep. "Sam?"

Sam noticed what she was looking at. "She had a rough night. Evidently she cried for part of the night but hid it from Traci. She's here, and in your arms. Now you need to rest also so you can come home."

Andy yawned, still stroking her daughter's hair but she soon fell asleep. Sam snapped a few pictures with his phone before leaving to go find a doctor to find out how soon his wife could come home. For her sake, as well as Katie's, he hoped it would be soon.

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A.N. Reviews help me become a better writer and they make my day so please review and put a smile on my face!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own Rookie Blue.

A.N. I was going to post this under "Through Thick and Thin" since the first chapter sparked the idea for "Through Thick and Thin" but then I decided it would work better attached to this story because it is a continuation of this one.

A.N.2 I changed the nickname from "Kitten" to "Princess" in the last chapter (I hope I got them all) to keep with my theme from "Through Thick and Thin".

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Sam pulled into the driveway with a smile. Andy had been home for three days and although he hated seeing her in pain, he actually liked the arrangement he had worked out with Frank.

Instead of working full shifts, Sam was now working three-quarters of a regular shift. His shift was broken up. The first part of his shift started after he dropped Katie off at her nursery school and ended at 12:30 when he left to pick her up. He returned to work at 6:30, after he tucked her into bed (Andy's rule was she could stay awake as long as she wanted as long as she stayed in her room) and then he finished at 9:30.

Before Andy's injury, Katie had stayed in school until 3:30. The school had an afternoon program but Sam and Andy made a joint decision that if Sam came home to be with Andy, they should just have Katie at home so they could spend more quality time together.

While Sam was at work in the morning and when he went back to work at night, Tommy was "on call" in case Andy needed anything.

The nursery school director and Katie's teachers had been very understanding. Katie had missed two days because of Andy's injury (two days in a row because Sam refused to fight with her) but her teachers quickly caught her up, telling Sam and Andy that it was the beginning of the year and the unit was a 'getting to know you' unit so Katie actually hadn't missed much. The director told Sam that if anything came up on his shift and he was running late, he shouldn't worry about it.

As Sam unlocked the door, he turned to his daughter. "Remember, quietly. Mommy might be sleeping."

Katie nodded. "But when she wakes up can I show her the picture I made for her in art?"

Sam knelt and touched his daughter's cheek. "Of course." He kissed her forehead before straightening and opening the door.

Katie preceded him into the house and he realized Andy was awake when she screamed "Mommy!"

"Hey Princess. How was school?"

Sam closed the front door and made his way into the living room. Andy was seated on the couch. Katie sat in the middle of the room, her backpack on the floor, rummaging through it, looking for her picture.

Sam sat next to Andy. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." She turned her attention away from him as Katie came up to her. "What do you have Sweetie?"

"I made you a picture in art class." Katie handed her mother the picture.

As Andy took the picture, she winced. She tried to mask it but Sam saw through it. "It's beautiful Katie." She leaned forward and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Katie, why don't you go hang your picture on the refrigerator" Sam said after he admired her picture.

Katie skipped into the kitchen as Sam moved to kneel beside Andy. "When's the last time you took painkillers?"

"Sam…" It was a warning, but a weary one.

"Andy, I saw you wincing both when you took the picture and when you gave Katie a kiss. You need to let your body heal itself."

Andy made a face. "I hate the painkillers. It makes me sleepy."

"So you'll sleep. Katie and I will both be here when you wake up."

"Will you?"

Sam glared at her. "Yes, even if it means getting back late for work. When did you last take it?"

Andy sighed. "This morning."

Sam knew what she meant. The last time she had taken it was before he left for work. He stood and returned with the painkiller and a glass of water.

While he was getting medicine for Andy, Katie returned to her mother. After placing her backpack neatly in the front hallway (after a gentle reminder from her mother) she sat down on the floor with her dolls.

Andy took the medicine without complaint and then snuggled next to Sam. Sam just wrapped an arm around her as the two of them silently observed their daughter.

After a few minutes, Katie looked up. "Daddy? Why's Mommy sleeping?"

Sam shifted slightly and realized that Andy had indeed fallen asleep. He moved her into a more comfortable position before looking at his daughter. "Because Mommy still has a lot of boo-boos." He pointed to Andy's cast, the only visible sign of her wounds. "The doctor gave her medicine to help her sleep because her boo-boos hurt." He never imagined having to explain such a concept to a four-year old and he hoped he was doing it right. Andy was so much better at explaining these things to their daughter but lately she had been asleep when Katie asked questions.

Katie studied her mother for a second. "Oh. Can I tuck her in?"

Sam didn't know where it came from. He was planning on leaving Andy on the couch but his daughter had a good idea. It was probably better for Andy to be in bed. "Sure Princess."

Katie skipped up the stairs as he gently lifted Andy from the couch. He slowly carried his wife up the stairs and set her on the bed. He helped Katie tuck the covers around Andy and watched as Katie kissed Andy on the forehead, wishing that the camera was not in the kitchen. As he held his hand out to Katie to lead her out of the room she whispered "you have to give Mommy a kiss first."

Sam grinned and kissed Andy's forehead whispering "sleep well sweetheart" before leading his daughter out of the room.

As soon as they were out of the room, Katie asked "when can I have lunch? I'm hungry."

Sam smiled. "Right now." He enjoyed this time home, although he wished it were under better circumstances. He just had to be reminded (more often than not) that she no longer ate lunch in school.

* * *

Andy woke with a groan. The reason she hated the painkiller really had nothing to do with the sleeping aspect, even though she always complained about it. What she really hated was the fact that she always woke up with the urge throw-up.

She tried to open her eyes but the room seemed to spin. She closed them quickly and quietly called "Sam?"

* * *

Sam was playing in the playroom with Katie when he heard her. Grinning at the fact that he moved the baby monitor into their room so he could hear her, he gave his daughter a quick kiss before taking the stairs two at a time.

He opened the bedroom door slowly and saw her squeezing her eyes shut. "Don't open your eyes" he said softly. He grabbed a water-bottle from the dresser and sat down next to her on the bed. "Drink" he held the water-bottle to her lips.

Andy sipped slowly. After a minute, the nausea passed. She opened her eyes and looked at Sam. "No more" she said softly. At Sam's confused look she clarified. "No more painkillers unless I tell you I absolutely need them. I can sleep without them and I can't deal with this feeling of nausea every time I wake up."

Sam sighed. He knew there was no point in arguing. "Fine. But only if you promise to tell me if the pain gets really bad."

Andy nodded. "I will." She held out her arms. "The doctor told me to take it easy and not walk so much. I want to go downstairs and play with our daughter."

Sam grinned and scooped her up carefully. "Great! She's been waiting for you to wake up. She wants to have a tea-party."

* * *

They woke to shrieks. Andy started to sit up but Sam placed a hand on her shoulder and held her down. "You aren't supposed to do a lot of walking yet."

"But –"

"No buts!" He interrupted her. "I'll be right back."

He started to climb out of bed but she grabbed his hand with her good one. "Please, she is going to want me, not you."

Sam sighed. "If she wants you, I'll bring her in here. You need to stay in bed." Andy was probably right. If Katie had a nightmare, there was no way she was going to want Sam. He was willing to bend his rule about not bringing Katie into their bed if it meant Andy staying in bed.

Sam walked into Katie's room. By the light of the night light, he was able to see her tossing and turning. He realized that she was not awake.

Sam sat down gingerly on her bed and gently stroked her hair. "Shh, Katie, I'm right here. It's okay."

After a minute, Katie's eyes began to open. "Daddy?"

"Right here princess."

"Where's Mommy? Is she in the …" she struggled with the word "hop…hos…hospital again?" Tears were flowing down her cheeks.

Sam pulled her close. "No Princess. She's not in the hospital and she's not going back anytime soon." Considering she couldn't go back to work for a little while and when she did Frank was probably going to keep her behind the desk for a while.

"I want Mommy!"

Sam swept her into his arms. As he walked back to Andy, he gently reminded his daughter to be careful.

As soon as Sam stepped into the bedroom, Katie cried "Mommy!"

Andy lifted herself up to a sitting position, ignoring Sam's glare. "Come here sweetie."

Sam brought Katie close. Katie snuggled up to Andy. Sam glared at her. Andy gently lowered herself and her daughter onto the pillows. She stroked Katie's hair.

Sam turned off the main light and turned on one of the bedside lamps before climbing back into bed. He had a feeling Katie would not be returning to her own bed tonight.

After a while, Andy whispered "Katie? Princess? Want to tell me what scared you?"

To the surprise of both of her parents, Katie burst into tears. They were even more surprised when she pulled out of Andy's embrace and wrapped her arms around Sam's neck.

Sam hugged her as he made eye contact with his wife. Confusion was written clearly on her face. Sam thought he detected hurt in her eyes but he couldn't be sure.

"Katie?" he tried softly as he stroked her hair.

"What if I hurt her?" she whispered into his ear.

Sam gently pulled her hands off his neck so he could look at her face. "You're not going to hurt her."

Andy touched her daughter's cheek. "Katie, sweetie, come here."

Katie went back into the safety of her mother's arms.

Andy snuggled up to Sam and gave her daughter some time to calm down. Andy just held her while Sam placed a comforting hand on his daughter's back.

"Katie?" Andy said softly when Katie's whimpers ceased.

"You didn't come home!" She buried her face in Andy's neck. She shifted slightly and Andy tensed but managed not to let a whimper of her own escape.

"You had a dream where Mommy didn't come home?" Sam questioned.

Katie turned her head to look at Sam. When she met his eye, she nodded.

Sam touched her cheek. "It's okay princess. Mommy's right here and she's not going anywhere."

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A.N. Reviews make my day so let me know what you think.


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